Anaesthetic Glossary
Central Venous Catheter
AKA: "Central line, CVC"
A catheter that is placed in a large vein in the neck or shoulder area. The catheter is used for giving medications and/or large amounts of fluid or blood. The catheter can also allow measurement of a "central venous pressure" which helps gauge the filling of the heart.
This photo shows an introducer sheath and Pulmonary artery catheter passing through the skin into a large vein (internal jugular) in the left neck.
